A Deal's A Deal
by doctoring
Summary: Edd said he had a boyfriend, but he doesn't. He's willing to do anything to cover up the lie, even pay Kevin to pretend to date him for just one weekend. And Kevin's more than happy to oblige.
1. Hello, Mother!

"Of course, mother… I'm so excited to see you and father! Have a safe trip… Love you, too..." Edd hangs up the phone and his cheery expression drops. He plops down on the bench next to him and sighs heavily. He was not excited to see his parents.

Sure, he missed them since starting college, enough to cry a few times from homesickness, but he understood that he lived too far from home now, and they were hardly ever at home anyways because of work. He knew that they would worry, so regarding all their questions about his college life, he gave them answers he thought they wanted to hear. They weren't all lies. He _was_ doing well in all his classes, eating right, getting enough sleep, and including a little bit of yoga and exercising into his weekly routine. The only part he may have stretched the truth with was the social aspect. He said he a few close friends and they hung out regularly. Enough to establish an acquaintanceship but not enough to interfere with his studies. So, what if he didn't actually hang out with anyone until over a month after he said this, and it was only Nathan and Kevin, two guys in his introductory psychology class. They went to a local book store because Nathan wouldn't stop bugging him about it. Since then, they've gotten coffee a few times and went back to the bookstore twice. More recently, Nathan has regularly taken all of them grocery shopping since he's the only one with a car between the three of them. Edd was still not sure why these two jocks would want to spend so much time with him, but he's now glad they made a presence in his life, albeit a little pushy at times. That was mainly Nathan though. Kevin was always calmer about things. _Actually… Kevin is partly to blame for my predicament…,_ Edd thought.

. . . . . . . . . .

Earlier, Edd received a phone call from his mother saying their plans were cancelled and they're headed to his college for Parents' Weekend. Right now. At this very moment. And will be there in about one hour. They were going to surprise him, but his mother was just far too excited and called him en route. He was overjoyed at first, but then his mother had to ask that blasted question.

"Is there anyone you want us to meet while we're there? Maybe those friends you were talking about… or maybe a boyfriend…?"

"Mother, I-I don't…"

"Oh, come now, Eddward! As fondly as you talked about that Nathan and that Kevin, I wouldn't be surprised if you started developing feelings towards one of them… or was dating one of them and was too busy making out to tell us."

"Mother. It's not like-"

"Both of them!?"

"Mother!"

"I'm just teasing Eddward, but you do know you can tell us anything… So, is there a special someone right now?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." _What am I saying?_ "And for your information, I didn't say anything earlier because it's quite the recent development, and not because of-of…" _And why am I thinking about Kevin while lying to her about this?_

"I'm so happy for you! Who's the lucky man? Wait, no, don't tell me! We'll just meet your _boyfriend_ when we get there." Edd could hear some sort of commotion in the background, namely his father's voice. "Oh, no. I need to go Eddward. It seems your father has overheard me, and now demanding to know who this person is," his mother giggled. "But you will introduce us to him?"

"Of course, mother..."

. . . . . . . . . .

So, there's the real reason Edd was not excited to see his parents. He had told a flat out lie about dating someone and was about to be caught in said lie in roughly one hour. _What are you going to do, Eddward? There is no time to fix this. Should I just call back and come clean? But she sounded so happy! Maybe I could just say we broke up between now and when they arrive. Oh, no, then she'll go into doting mother mode. I'm not sure I can handle that right now, especially when I don't deserve it. This guilt is unbearable. Oh, and why did I have to think of Kevin at a time like that? Actually… Kevin is partly to blame for my predicament… Wait, I shouldn't blame him. It's not his fault I lied. Sure, he's quite handsome and sweet, and I think dating him may be a fun experience. Would he even be interested in something like that? Focus, Eddward! The task at hand! How to fix this lie and-_

"You need to do something. Soon." _I know that voice… Nathan?_ Edd looked behind him to see Nathan and Kevin walking across the quad towards his bench. "You got until Saturday at midnight."

"I know, I know… it's just-" Kevin sighed heavily "I wanted to kinda go all out, you know that… but my bike! I didn't think the repairs would be so much! And now anything I do is just going to be lame."

"Dude, I'll double it if you just do it, then you'll have enough to-oof!"

Kevin cut him off with a sharp jab to the gut, while staring wide-eyed at Edd. Nat doubled over, holding his stomach.

"What was that for?" He peaked up and saw that Kevin was staring at something to their left. And blushing? Nathan turned his head and made eye contact with Edd. A giant grin spread across his face and he sprinted towards the bench.

Kevin stood there frozen for a few seconds before he chased after him, shouting, "Nat! No, no, no! I swear if you do anything stupid, I'll-"

Nat leaped over the bench and plopped down next to Eddward. "Double Delightful! Haven't seen you in a while! How about we turn our once-in-a-blue-moon hangouts into a weekly thing? Starting right now."

"Actually, I'm kinda busy. I have a bit of an issue I need to work out…"

"Oh, sounds interesting."

"…and I think we can both help each other out, Kevin," Edd says glancing up at Kevin who was standing in front of them now, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh, sounds _really_ interesting," Nat said, scooting towards the edge of his seat.

"W-what?" Kevin breathed out, looking confused.

"I'm sorry, Kevin, I couldn't help but overhear that you needed money for something. And I need a favor, and I'll be willing to pay you for it."

"Edd, I'll help ya if I can, but I don't feel right taking money from ya."

"But I insist! It's only fair, especially with the… the nature of my request…"

"Which is…?"

"Oh. Um… I don't know how to say this… Maybe we should just forget it!"

"Hold up!" Nat interjected. "You've peaked my interest, but you haven't said anything about this issue you're in or what the favor is."

"Oh, well," Edd looked around them at all the people in the quad, "I don't think this is the place to discuss that."

Nat sighed dramatically. "I wanted answers but all I get are teasers!" He then suddenly stands from the bench while pulling Edd upward. "Let's go to mine and Kevin's dorm room and discuss this mystery problem and the mystery favor there. Sounds good?"

Edd nodded and they made their way to their dorm.


	2. Game Plan

Just outside the dorm building, Nat stopped walking.

"Dude, what's up?"

"Kevin, weren't you running late for class this morning. Like extremely late?"

"Yeah, so? I made it on time."

"Oh, good to hear. You probably had time to go back and clean things too, right?"

Edd turned towards Kevin to ask him what's going on, but Kevin was no longer there. He had sprinted into the building, leaving a confused Edd and a laughing Nat behind. "Nathan, what is happening?"

"If we hurry, you'll find out." Nat and Edd rush to catch up with Kevin.

As they enter the dorm room, Edd sees Kevin slamming his closet door shut. "Honey, we're home!"

Kevin quickly rushes towards his bed and pulls the covers up. As he fluffs the pillows, Nat lays across his own bed and points to Kevin's bed. "Have a seat!"

Edd looks at Kevin who's glaring at Nat. "I don't think I should-"

Kevin quickly looks back at Edd and his face softens. "Nah, it's fine. Was just glaring at _some jerk_ who wasn't giving me enough time to finish cleaning up. Go ahead and sit." Edd gently sits at the foot of the bed while Kevin plops down against the headboard. "So, what's this dilemma?"

Edd sighs. "I hope you won't think less of me for this… but mother and father are coming to Parents' Weekend right now, and I'm about to be caught in a bit of a lie…"

Nathan turns so he's laying on his side, facing them. "What was the lie?"

Edd looks down at his hands, clasped on his lap. "I… I told them that I had… a boyfriend…"

"So, you're gay, Double Delightful?"

Edd looks up at Nat. "Yes. I am homosexual. I'm sorry if-"

"WELCOME TO THE CLUB!" Nat says as he slaps his hand down on his thigh and drags his hand up the length of his body. Edd watched as Nat continued to fling his hand into the air, pointing straight up, before swinging his arm back until his hand slapped against the wall. Edd looked at him confused until he noticed that Nat was still pointing with his hand against the wall. Edd giggled when he finally noticed that Nat was pointing at his framed portrait of Troye Sivan, hanging above his bed.

"So, I take it you both are-"

"I am," Kevin says, "but Nat is more booty-sexual."

"GUILLLTY!" Nat sing-songs. Edd giggles as Nat sits upright. "Okay! So, what I'm hearing is that your parents think you got a guy, but you don't… so I'm going to assume that this favor is that you need Kevy here to play boyfriend this weekend?"

Edd turns towards Kevin now, "He's correct, and like I mentioned earlier, I'll pay you for your time and your services."

"You hear that? Your _services_ , Kevin," Nat said, waggling his eyebrows. Kevin threw his pillow at Nat as Edd panicked.

"No! Nothing like that, I assure you! Just a brief introduction with the parents and-"

"It's cool, dork, whatever you need."

"Thank you so much, Kevin! I really do appreciate this!"

Edd stands and starts to take out his wallet, when Kevin grabs his arm. "Don't worry about the money."

"But it's only fair! And don't you need the money?"

"Yeah, Kevin. It's not every day that someone get paid to meet the in-laws."

Kevin shoots a glare at Nat. "Let's see if this works out first, deal?"

"Deal!" Edd sits back down. "They'll be here by five, do you think you can be free around then?"

"Got no plans for the night, so sure. How about we get our story straight before then?"

Edd nods and they begin fabricating the story of their very recently formed relationship. At one point, Nat jumps up and asks if Edd has a place to display pictures in his room. Edd confirms with a confused look as Nat darts out of the room. Afterwards, Kevin and Edd spend the rest of the time talking about Nat and their shared dorm room, seeing as this was the first time Edd's been in here.

About five minutes until the hour, Nat returns, clutching a plastic shopping bag to his chest and panting. "So, how's the backstory coming along?"

Edd and Kevin both looked horrified.

"Shit, we got distracted!"

"Language, Kevin!"

"Right. Sorry. Guessing I can't do that in front of the parents, eh?"

"Correct."

Kevin checks the time, "I think we're just going to have to wing it at this point."

Edd holds his head in his hands and groans.

"Cheer up, Edd. I got something that might help you, but we'll need to go to your room."

"You guys go ahead, I think I should probably change before meeting Edd's parents," Kevin says, gesturing towards the gym shorts and tank top he was wearing.

Edd lead the way down to his room, just one floor below Nat's and at the very end of the hall. When they walked in, Nat whistled lowly. "Dang, Double Delightful. This is way too organized. And you got a single! You lucky dog!"

"Yes, I suppose. So, what is this thing you have that can help me?"

Nat lifts the shopping bag he was still carrying. "I went and got some-"

Edd phone goes off, and Edd stares at it worriedly before answering the call. "Hello, mother!" Edd says, cheerily, but Nat can clearly see the look of distress in Edd's eyes. "You're here already? At the dorm? I'll be right down!" Edd hangs up the phone.

"Go, Double Delightful, I got it from here!"

Edd thanks him before running out the door. As he turns the corner halfway down the hall, he almost runs into Kevin.

"Woah, Edd. You okay?" He asked worriedly before his facial expression turns angry. "Did Nat do something?"

"No, no. Mother and Father are here. I was just going to go fetch them!"

"Ah, want me to come with?"

"Actually, could you just head to my room and wait there… and keep an eye on Nathan for me?"

Kevin laughs. "Sure thing."

He starts to head down the hall before Edd stops him, "Wait, do you know which room?"

"Yeah… I, um… Nat… He texted it to me…"

"I see. Well, I'll be up shortly with my parents. Oh! And you look nice."

Kevin mumbled out a thanks while scratching the back of his neck. He quickly turned and made his way towards Edd's room.

 _My. I hope that wasn't too forward. He was turning quite red. It was too adorable. I could just kiss him! …Eddward! What are you thinking!? That is definitely too forward! Calm yourself!_


	3. Meet the Parents

Edd quickly made his way down the stairs to the lobby, where he greeted each of his parents with a hug. He led them to his room, hoping this little plan of his would pan out in his favor. However, as they made their way down the hall, his hopes started to sink. He could hear Nathan and Kevin arguing down the hall.

"Dude. You're such a creep!"

"Psh! Whatever! You know you love it! It's all in the details, Kevin! The details!"

"Details? Really!?"

"And looks who's talking! What are you even wearing? A dress shirt and slacks? And where's your hat?"

"Cut it out, Nat! Don't mess up the hair!"

"You trying to look all spiffy for Double Delightful's mom and dad?"

"Yeah, maybe… Man, I just got nervous… Do you really think I overdid it?"

"Not at all!" Edd's mother said, as she walked through the opened door. Kevin jumped with a start as he was fixing his hair in Edd's closet mirror. Nathan grinned wickedly before getting up from Edd's desk chair.

"Mr. and Mrs. Vincent, I presume?" He said, bowing at the waist before shaking their hands.

"Teal hair and quite boisterous. You must be Nathan!"

"Please, Mrs. Vincent, call me 'Nat,'" he said with a wink, prompting Edd's father to clear his throat loudly.

"And how do you know my son?"

Nat quickly pulled Edd into a side hug. "I'm his new best friend! If you're looking for the arm candy, he's to the right," Nat said, pointing at Kevin who was staring at him in disbelief.

He visibly shook himself before turning towards Edd's parents. "Hello, I'm Kevin Barr," he said, shaking Mr. Vincent's hand and trying to do the same to Mrs. Vincent, but instead she pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so glad I finally got to meet you! Eddward has spoken fondly of the both of you." With that, she stepped past them to look around Edd's room. When she stopped at the desk, she asked, "How did you manage to get such a candid photograph, Eddward?"

"Photograph? What ph-"

"That was me, ma'am! I took it without them knowing and gave it to him afterwards," Nathan spoke up. Edd walked over to his mother, who was holding an acrylic frame. Inside was a photo of Kevin and Edd sitting at a table at the coffee shop. Kevin had his head thrown back in laughter and Edd was giggling behind his hands. _Nathan must have taken this picture when he went to pick up our drinks_. Edd looked up and saw a few more pictures, selfies Nathan made them take together, pinned to the cork board above his desk. Then Edd noticed that a few of them had labels underneath.

"MYSTERY NOVEL SALE"

"WEEKLY COFFEE TRIP"

"NAT"

His eyes darted towards the last one when his mother pointed at it.

"BOYFRIEND"

It was a photo of Kevin in his football jersey, sweaty and grinning.

"That's so cute, Eddward!"

Edd blushed and stuttered out a response, but his blush only deepened when he heard Nat whisper to Kevin, "Like I said, details!"

Kevin quickly stepped away from Nat and towards Edd's father. "So, Mr. Vincent, I heard you had quite the drive."

"Yes, over two hours, after a three-hour flight."

"Gracious. You're probably tired. We could leave if you'd like. Give you and Edd some time to catch up. I know he hasn't been able to see you since the semester started."

"That's quite nice of you, but I already know my wife has her heart set on having dinner with you all. So, if you're free, would you care to join us?"

"Oh! We're free!" Nat piped up.

. . . . . . . . . .

At dinner, Edd felt relieved that Nat kept his father engaged in conversation regarding the Goldberg family business. His only concern was his mother, but she seemed more interested in Kevin himself instead of their fabricated relationship. At one point, his mother asked about Kevin's parents. Kevin explained that they won't be here this weekend because of their Ireland trip, which prompted her to invite him to spend time with them tomorrow as well. Kevin readily agreed. _I'm so glad he's going this far for me. Maybe I should pay him more. I never did ask why he needed the money… But that doesn't concern me right now. I'll just try to get through this next day and then ask him about it later… He does look rather handsome in that dress shirt. Green suits him quite well… Stop it Edd! You're just going to get your hopes up!_


	4. Kevin, the Boyfriend

The next day, Kevin joined the Vincents on a tour of the town. He played photographer for them whenever Mrs. Vincent wanted a family photo at certain locations. Kevin pointed out places that he, Edd, and Nat have been to (supposedly) and really did make it seem like Edd was spending time with other people instead of being a recluse.

Later, they stopped by an ice cream shop that Kevin claimed they've been to before. _He's doing so well with the ruse! Ordering the blueberry sorbet for me really does make it sound like we've been here before. How does he know me so well?_

Over their frozen treats, Mr. Vincent says, "I'm so glad you've befriended Eddward here. I was a little worried that he would still be sad being away from the Eds."

"The Eds?"

Mr. Vincent gave Kevin a confused look. "Yes, the Eds. I'm sure Eddward's talked about them. They were his best friends growing up."

"I've only really mentioned _Ed_ , father, not _Eddy_. So, your use of the plural 'Eds' is probably what confused him."

Edd watched Kevin feign understanding. "Ah! Yes. Ed. Yeah, Double D doesn't really talk about… about the other one…"

Edd piped up, "I mainly just told him that mine and Eddy's relationship has been strained since I came out, and that all three of us had different post-high school plans. That's it."

"I see. Well, it's good to see you're not dwelling on the past. And I approve of your new friends more than I ever did those Eds. Well, I do with Kevin at least. That Nathan sure seems loud and too energetic."

"You don't know the half of it, sir," Kevin chimed in. "I share a room with him. It sounds like I'm living in a zoo sometimes."

Mrs. Vincent giggled at that and it seemed as though their lie was still unexposed.

. . . . . . . . . .

Later, they toured the historic district just outside of town. Kevin played photographer again, until Mrs. Vincent suddenly announced that she wanted Kevin and Edd to take pictures together. Kevin quickly pulled Edd up against his side, which prompted Edd to bury his face in his hands and blush. His blush grew when Kevin proceeded to pull Edd's hands from his face, but then didn't let go of Edd's hands as Mrs. Vincent took more pictures.

On the way back in town, Mr. Vincent asked Kevin, "Do you think you have time for dinner, or are you done playing nice?"

Both Edd and Kevin started panicking. "It's nothing like that, sir!"

"I'm only teasing Kevin. But the question still stands. Care to join us for dinner or do you have other obligations?"

"Oh. Well… I really would like to stay for dinner, but I need to meet up at the field house soon."

"The field house?"

"Yes, we have a game tonight, sir."

"That's right," Mrs. Vincent chimed in. "You did tell me you played football. I guess I just didn't make the connection between that and the game tonight."

"You're going to the game tonight, right, Eddward?" asked his father.

"Well, I-"

"Of course he is, dear! Why wouldn't he go watch Kevin play?" Mrs. Vincent then turned in her seat to look at Kevin. "We'll drop you off back at the dorm now, but we'll see you at the game tonight!"

. . . . . . . . . .

Edd texted Kevin not long after they dropped him off.

 _Edd_ : I'm so sorry about today.

 _Kevin_ : What are you even apologizing for, dork? I had fun.

 _Edd_ : Really?

 _Kevin_ : Yes really. We need to hang out more. :)

 _Edd_ : I find that agreeable.

 _Kevin_ : Lol. Gotta go get ready for the game.

 _Edd_ : Okay. See you later. Good luck!

"Eddward, honey, what's got you grinning so much?"

"Nothing, mother."

"Oh? Is that a real nothing or a 'I'm taking to my boyfriend' nothing?"

Edd's father started laughing. "He does seem like a good kid."

"He is, father."

"And he's quite handsome!" Mrs. Vincent chimed in.

Mr. Vincent gave her the side eye before continuing. "I'm happy for you, Eddward. I'm glad to see that you're doing so well."

Edd was happy too until he remembered it was a lie. _Pretending to date Kevin has been so much fun, I almost forgot that we weren't really dating, and that I'm paying him for it. I wish it was as real as my parents believe it to be._

. . . . . . . . . .

That night, their school ended up losing the game, but Edd still felt that it was a win for him. His parents looked happy and were even cheering for Kevin during the game. Well, his mother was. His father was too busy talking to Mr. Goldberg after halftime. Plus, the way Kevin waved to him as he was leaving the field was the icing on the cake. _He's such a good boyfriend… friend! I meant friend! My gracious, I'm started to believe the lie myself now! I need to hurry up and pay him before I get myself into a more awkward situation!_


	5. A Done Deal

Later on, Edd finds Kevin back in his dorm, and luckily Nat hadn't returned yet.

"Thank you so much for everything, Kevin!"

"Not a problem. Did your parents buy it?"

"It seems so!" Edd pulls a crisp $50 bill out of his pocket. "Here you go. I hope this is enough."

"Edd, I can't take it."

"I insist. We had a deal." Edd places the money on Kevin's desk. "Well, I have to go spend more time with mother and father before they leave."

"When are they heading out?"

"They're going back to their hotel room at 11 to get some rest. They're leaving at 6am to catch a flight cross country for another business trip."

"Dude that's awful. Well, go spend time with them, and tell them I said 'bye' and 'have a safe trip' and all that jazz."

Edd giggled. "I will, Kevin. Thanks again."

"No problem."

As Edd was leaving the room, Kevin stopped him. "Hey, do you mind texting me after they're gone?"

"I don't mind, but is something the matter?"

"Nah. I'll let you know later."

"O-okay, then. I shall talk to you later tonight, I suppose."

"Choice."

. . . . . . . . . .

At around 11:03, Edd sends a text to Kevin telling him his parents have left. About a minute later he was sending a follow-up text asking Kevin what was going on when there was a knock on his door.

"Kevin!? What are you doing here?"

"I came here to return this," Kevin hands him back the money. "I don't feel right taking this…"

"But I don't want you to have done all that for me without getting anything in return. And besides, didn't you say you were tight on cash right now…"

"I am, but it's awkward to get it from you, when I needed the money because of you."

"Pardon?"

Kevin sighs and pushes past Edd into his dorm room. He places the money on Edd's desk and stares at the pictures that Nat had printed out. He then picks up the frame and grins at it before saying, "Edd. Will you go out with me?" Kevin turns to look at Edd. "Just one date. That's all I'm asking… But only if you want to… no pressure… I mean-"

"Kevin, do you seriously want to take me out on a… a date!?"

Kevin has a soft smile on his face as he looks back at the framed picture. After a moment, he places it down on the desk on top of the money and replies. "Yeah. I do. So…"

Edd rushes towards Kevin and hugs him. When he pulls back he looks up at Kevin and says, "I'm still confused on one part."

"What's that?"

"Why you refused the payment."

"Ah, well… you see… I've had a major crush on you for a while… pretty much all semester."

Edd's eyes go wide. "Seriously?"

"Yup. And I made the mistake of making it obvious in front of Nat. I think it was getting on his nerves that I wasn't doing anything about it, which is why he might have gotten more demanding with your time recently…"

"I have noticed that. It seems he wants to start some sort of weekly coffee thing."

Kevin laughed. "Yeah. Sounds like him. But yeah… eventually we made a bet. I had to ask you out by this Saturday at midnight or pay $50… He'd give me $50 if I did it."

"So that's why you-"

"No! That's not why, or I'd have won the bet when it was made three weeks ago."

"Three weeks!?"

"Yeah…" Kevin sighs and places his hands on Edd's waist. "I wanted to ask you out, but I didn't know if you'd be into it. And I didn't want it to be a cheap, lame date, either. That's why I was saving up, but then someone hit my bike in the parking lot, and I had to use up all I'd saved to get it fixed. Nat even offered to pay me extra if I just went ahead and asked, but I was still uncertain. Then you came to me with your offer… I got to pretend to be your boyfriend for a little over a day and realized I got more to lose by not asking you." Kevin stepped into Edd's space and wrapped his arms around him. "Like I said, I had to fix my bike. So… sorry I couldn't ask you out liked I planned, making it all romantic and rememberable… and sorry it's going to be a cheap date… but I would still really like to take you out sometime soon."

"Kevin, it's-"

"I can pay for it all!" Both Kevin and Edd snap their head to the door. Nat was peeking in and grinning widely. He quickly stepped into the room and made a show of checking the time on his watch. "You meet the deadline."

"How long have you been there?"

"Hrm, maybe the whole time? I don't know. When did you ask him out? Because I was definitely here just before then."

Edd watched as Kevin rolled up his sleeves and rushed towards Nat. Nat quickly took a few steps back and pulled several $20 bills out of his wallet and presented it to Kevin. "I told you yesterday that I'd double it for you, if you just grew a pair and asked him. Now you should have plenty for that 'romantic and rememberable' date."

Kevin snatches the money. "I have no problem taking money from you. Now get out of here!"

Kevin waits until Nat walks out, closing the door behind him. He turns back to Edd. "You know, you never actually did say whether or not you'd go out with me…"

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry! Of course, I will, Kevin!" Edd goes to hug Kevin who's beaming back at him. He could feel Kevin give him a quick kiss on the top of his head before he pulled back.

"Choice! Just text me your schedule when you have time, and I'll plan the date."

"Will do, Kevin."

Kevin keeps grinning at him before his smile starts to faulter. "I, uh, I should probably let you get some sleep."

Edd nods and walks him to the door. He wasn't surprised to see Nat still standing outside.

"Well, gotta walk this fool home since apparently he can't remember where the room is."

Edd giggles. "Apparently so. Well, Good night, you two."

"Good night, Double-"

"Pst! Kevin! You gonna give him a goodnight kiss or nah?" Nat said loudly, waggling his eyebrows again.

Kevin just shoved him down the hall. "Go!" He turned his head back toward Edd. "Sorry about him. Good night, Edd."

Edd watched them take a few steps down the hall before he decided to take a page out of Kevin's book and do something bold.

"Kevin! Wait up!"

Kevin stops walking and Nat stumbles as he stops skipping, turning around to see what was going on. "I insist I repay you."

"Edd, we've been over this. I won't take your money."

"But a deal's a deal, so how about I repay you some other way."

"Like how?"

Edd then leans up and gives Kevin a kiss on the cheek. "That should be suffice for now. I might give you another after the date…"

Edd goes back into his room, but not before looking back at Kevin. He giggles at the sight before him. Nat is squealing and jumping up and down in the middle of the hall, just behind Kevin who's completely flushed and holding one hand up to his cheek. He grins at Edd and waves.

"Looking forward to our date. Pleasant dreams, Kevin," Edd says as he steps back into his room and closes the door. He goes to his desk and puts the money back in his wallet. As he's trying to decide on the best location for the framed pictured, he receives a text from Kevin.

 _Kevin:_ I'm looking forward to it too!

 _Kevin_ : And after the date ;)

Edd smiles to himself and looks back up at the picture of Kevin at football practice. _Maybe soon that "boyfriend" label will become true._

The End.


End file.
